The Digital Photo Guy

Fixing Critter Eyes (both 2 & 4 legged)

I was planning to produce several more Photoshop Elements videos but couldn’t come up with a topic or theme. So, I’m recycling a video that, according to my logs, was very popular when it was first uploaded.

Everyone has taken photos of Fido or Fluffy with weird green or white eyes. This is the animal form of red-eye. This technique can be used to recreate a more realistic result than that nasty old Red Eye Removal Tool in PSE. For anyone who has never tried the Red Eye Removal Tool, you’re not missing anything. It simply replaces the red with another color. Unless you’re very precise or very lucky, the new color will not match the real eye color.

Using this method, you’ll actually replace the eye with a good eye from another photo.

Video Monday Morning Tip, 3-29-10

Female Assistant Needed – Friday 7/30

I need a female assistant (read as “slave labor“) to hold reflectors, position & adjust flashes, keep track of equipment and otherwise help me during a beach shoot. The shoot will be early morning and/or late afternoon, Friday, 7/30 at Oceanside Harbor. The model is Tylor, the young lady I photographed a few weeks ago but this time we’re doing an Ava Gardner look on the rocks at Oceanside Harbor. I need a female since you might need to brush back her hair, adjust her bathing suit straps or otherwise work very close to her. Shoot me an e-mail ASAP if you can help.

Finding a Good Workshop

As mentioned in a previous article, one of my entries to the 2010 San Diego Fair won the Panasonic Digital Photo Academy Sponsor’s Award. The prize was a $150 gift certificate for one of their advanced classes. I used it this past weekend to attend a field workshop led by Fred Greaves, a San Diego based photojournalist who has covered many major San Diego news stories including the devastating wildfires of 2003 and 2005. Fred had just returned from Afghanistan so it was also interesting to hear how today’s wars are so different, yet so similar, to Vietnam.

Fred’s field workshop was along Sunrise Highway in the Laguna Mountains. It was probably the hottest day in many years. On the same day, 4 hikers and their dog were rescued by the Sheriffs Dept while a 2nd dog died in the 110°F heat. We met in Pine Valley, a wide spot on Old Route 80, just 2 miles from the southern terminus of Sunrise Highway, at 6:30AM but the actual workshop didn’t start until 9AM.

The photos above were made while it was still relatively cool. The first two were from a rest area I had passed dozens of times but never stopped to photograph. I liked the way the slopes overlapped each other as they receded into the distance. The third was simply an old tree trunk that reminded me of space aliens.   Click to read more

Keep Your IJP Head Unclogged

I’ve been using an Epson R1800 for about 5 years with a CIS (constant ink supply) from InkJetFly.com and pigment inks from InkSupply.com on Calumet Brilliant Supreme Lustre paper. I love the rich colors and wide tonality of this combination. All my prints for public viewing are printed using this system. Here are several that were recently printed. Regular readers will recognize the middle photo as a winning entry in the 2010 San Diego Fair.

The only downside to most 3rd party inks is a tendency to clog Epson heads unless exercised every day. When I’m in the office, that’s not a problem because I can open the Epson printer controls and print a Nozzle Check pattern. However, when I travel, especially during the summer when the temperatures in my unoccupied office can reach 95°F, the heads tend to dry out and clog almost immediately.

In the past, I’ve used a witches brew of programs and tools to automatically print a test pattern every day. Sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn’t. It certainly wasn’t for the faint of heart and keeping the program running was almost as much hassle as it was to unclog the heads. Now, there’s an (almost) painfree solution. Click to read more

Lessons from a Pin-Up Shoot

These are the best from a “pin-up-style” photoshoot with Tylor yesterday. My personal favorite is the first one in the ’57 T-bird with the red interior (all cars courtesy of Deer Park Winery and Auto Museum). A blue 1950 Studebaker is featured in the 2nd and 3rd photos.

All were lit with 3 strobes. The key light was on a stand and bounced off a Westcott 32″ umbrella. A fill light was set low to emphasize her hair in the T-bird and her legs in the Studebaker. The third strobe was used to add “pop” to the interior of the cars.

All 3 photos were touched up with Topaz Labs Adjust 4 to smooth the skin (not like she needed it) and add “pop”. Readers can try Topaz Labs plug-ins for free and, if they decide to buy, use the discount code “digitalphotoguy” for 15% off.

(I have no financial ties to Topaz Labs, they extend this discount to my readers because I am a recognized Photoshop Elements instructor)

I plan to offer a Pin-Up Shoot Workshop in the Fall. If you’re interested in a 4-hour posing and lighting class for $99, post a comment or send me an e-mail to be notified when it’s ready. I need a minimum of 8 students to schedule the class and book the venue.
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Fireworks and Indian Pow Wow

Mary, Alf and I spent the weekend at Pechanga Casino and Resort for the pow wow and fireworks display. The fireworks were OK but I guess I’m burned out on “bombs bursting in air”. We had staked out a spot on the top floor of the parking structure with our car, thinking others would respect that. How foolish of us! When we got there, kids had literally crawled over our car to climb up on the 3 foot retaining wall. These are the same kids whose parents would sue for millions if they fell off the wall.

Anyway, I suddenly realized that fireworks are pretty repetitous. If you’ve seen the basic patterns, it’s just more of the same without some context. I tried framing the Pechanga Hotel to add context but there wasn’t much there. The following is a composite of a red peony and a green peony.
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